Alright, so here is the thing about me.  I only promote things that I absolutely love and 100% fully support, even if it is a product of a friend of mine.  I don’t just push it along and share it with others, either on here or in my personal day to day conversation unless it absolutely lights me up!  I am honest to the core.

These boys, The Makepeace Brothers, have become true brothers to me over the last few years.   I love going to their shows.   They can get any group of people swinging and swaying along.  Often time with bands with that much energy live, it just doesn’t translate on recordings.  I made up that they were going to be one of these bands.  I know that I love their music,   I love them, I love their energy and I love their shows.  I figured their new CD would be a small sliver of what they are, but WOW was I wrong.

I put the CD in on Saturday, thinking it would offer up some nice background music and I was stopped dead in my tracks.  Holy Bananas!  They did it and they did it well!!!!!  This CD is beautiful.  I am telling you, from the bottom of my heart, you want it.  Do yourself a favor and order it up ASAP!!!!!

And if you want, I invite you to read along as I reminisce about my journey with my brothers.

I met The Makepeace Brothers only once before my father passed away suddenly in March of 2008.  Finian and Ciaran (a.k.a Keeks)  were playing a local show in San Diego with Jason Mraz, who I worked for.  I immediately had crushes on both of them (Fin and Keeks).  The next time I saw them (and met Conor) was only a few weeks after my Dad’s passing and one day after returning to the states.  I had flown directly from the funeral to Australia to tour with Jason Mraz.   I was the monitor engineer for Jason and we were going straight  from our Australia run into rehearsals for the Music, Magic, Makepeace tour featuring Jason Mraz, Bushwalla, The Makepeace Brothers, and hosted by Justin Willman/Kredible.  I was a complete mess and these boys opened their arms, their hearts, their souls to me. They were not afraid of my emotions, instead they created an incredibly safe space for me to be with all of what was coming up.

Over the years, my love for them has multiplied x a gazillion.   In fact, in 2009, the day before embarking on a year full of tour dates, this time in my newly created position of Joyologist, I handed over my 2003 Toyota 4Runner to them.  Why?  Well, because they asked, well kind of.   While driving them back up to LA from San Diego they were going over their todo list for the week.  The first thing on their list was “manifest a car” (their van had recently gone kaput).   Finian, turned to me and said, “Tricia, do you happen to know anyone who wants to give us their car?”  I looked at him in complete bewilderment and answered in my best smart-ass voice, “Yeah, Fin, I know someone that wants to give you their CAR?!?!??!”  These guys are out of their minds, I thought.

A few minutes later, with no coercion from them, I ended up offering up my car to them, just like that.   I had just been introduced to the saying “If you are not relishing it, release it”.   I was no longer relishing my car and I was going to be gone for the majority of the year anyways, with dreams of moving someplace where I no longer needed to drive.  So, why no t?  They assumed that I meant I was allowing them to borrow the car while I was on tour, but I wasn’t.   They needed it, I didn’t.  I took out all of the money I had received from my Dad’s life insurance policy (it wasn’t that huge of an amount) to pay off my car loan and signed the title over to them and never looked back.

I love these boys to no end.  When I moved to Hermosa Beach in 2010, I frequently rode my bike along The Strand bikepath (I have not had a car since handing over the 4runner to them) to Santa Monica and would stop in Venice on my way home to laugh it up with them.    I can go on and on about them.  They are truly my favorite people to just simply be with.

Check out their CD and I know you will see why, I love them so.  It shines through everything that they do.

Slow Down Feel Love  Get it here.

Keeks, Conor, Fin, Mike Schibel, Muah, Jon Marro.